FOR RELEASE: January 7, 2026

Contact: Richard T. Kaplar
The Media Institute
703-506-8986

Vienna, Va., Jan. 7, 2026 – Richard E. Wiley, who has chaired The Media Institute’s Board of Trustees with distinction for more than 30 years, will step down from that position on Jan. 31, 2026. The Media Institute’s Board of Trustees has chosen well-known media lawyer Kathleen Kirby to succeed him.

Wiley plans to remain active in Media Institute activities. The Board has bestowed upon him the title Chairman Emeritus, effective Feb. 1.

“For over 30 years, it has been my great privilege to chair The Media Institute’s Board. During this time, the Institute has always supported sound communications policy and the First Amendment. I now look forward to assisting our outstanding new leadership team of Kathy Kirby and incoming President Mike O’Rielly,” Wiley said.

Wiley co-founded Wiley Rein LLP, a Washington, D.C., law firm with one of the nation’s largest communications practices, in 1983. He is currently Chairman Emeritus of the firm. Wiley served as a Chairman, Commissioner, and General Counsel of the Federal Communications Commission from 1970 to 1977, and was recognized as a leading force in the agency’s initial efforts to foster greater competition and less regulation in the media industry.

Wiley was the recipient of The Media Institute’s inaugural Freedom of Speech Award in 1992. In 2024, the Institute bestowed its Lifetime Achievement Award upon him.

Kathleen Kirby has been a media lawyer for more than three decades. She is a partner at Wiley Rein LLP in Washington, where she co-chairs the Telecom, Media, and Technology practice and sits on the firm’s Executive and Management committees.

“I am honored and humbled to have the support of The Media Institute’s Board of Trustees to serve as the next Chair – the Institute’s mission remains critical at this pivotal time for media and communications. Of course, I am especially grateful for the leadership and vision of Dick Wiley, whose lifelong commitment to thoughtful and principled media policy has shaped the Institute and inspired many, including me,” Kirby said.

“I will draw from Dick’s powerful example as I work with our incoming President and CEO, Mike O’Rielly, and our distinguished Trustees to promote understanding of and respect for free speech principles, and to bring together policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, academics, and journalists to address the emerging telecom, media, and technology issues that affect our democracy,” she added.

Kirby is a past president of the Federal Communications Bar Association. She has received industry leadership awards from both RTDNA and the Broadcasters Foundation of America, and was inducted into the National Freedom of Information Hall of Fame. Kirby is regularly rated by Chambers USA as one of Washington, D.C.’s “Leading Lawyers” in her field.

Kirby is a long-time member of The Media Institute’s First Amendment Advisory Council and serves on the Steering Committee of the Institute’s Madison Project.

“Serving with Dick Wiley has been the honor of a lifetime, and I’m extremely grateful for his outstanding leadership, good counsel, and  steady support,” said Media Institute President Richard T. Kaplar. “At the same time I welcome Kathy Kirby, who has a long history with the Institute and shares its values. I’m confident that Kathy and President Elect Mike O’Rielly will lead the Institute to new levels.”

The Media Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization specializing in communications policy and the First Amendment. Visit the Institute at www.mediainstitute.org.

# # #